Spring 2017

International Relations 086

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Dr. Eric Fleisch

- Meeting Time: Monday & Wednesday, 2:35-3:50pm

- Location: Maginnes Hall, Room 480

- Office Hours: Tues 12-1pm and Thurs 1-2pm and by appointment

- Contacting me: 204 Maginnes Hall, , 610-758-3426

Course Description:

•The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a nutshell:

–One small piece of land. Two groups claim it. Both alternately cite divine, historical, political, legal, (and moral) reasons for why the land is their group’s rightful dominion. Passions for the land run VERY deep.

–In the early 20th century, Zionist Jews come to/return to a land inhabited over the past many centuries by mostly Arabs (Muslim and Christian), but also containing a tiny minority Jews. Zionist Jews believe they are fulfilling their historical and/or divine destinies by returning to the site of their former homeland/empire. Palestinian Arabs see the presence of the Zionists as an intrusion of foreign colonialism into their homeland.

–Ultimately, the Jews establish a state in part of the land. The Palestinians do not, with many permanentlybecomingrefugees either within another part of the land or outside of Israel/Palestine entirely.

–The next 7 decades from the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 are the story of Israelis and Palestinians trying to resolve the conflict the way they see best. This includes wars, uprisings, military occupation, terrorism, lobbying of the international community, galvanizing of sympathizers to the cause globally, and direct diplomacy—ranging between partially successful to completely unsuccessful.

–As of 2017, the conflict continues. In some important ways, it is much closer to being resolved than it has been in the past. But in other important ways, it appears nowhere close to being resolved.

  • My purpose in this course is to convey the complexity of the conflict in all of its manifestations, introducing the core issues and narratives that have kept Israelis and Palestinians at loggerheads over this issue for more than a century. We will do this by tracing the historical progression of conflict and attempt at conflict resolution. We will explore the key underlying issues the keep the conflict alive. But most importantly, we will view material that expresses the perspective of all sides. Antagonists in conflicts generally feel that their version of the history is authoritative. It is my job to introduce you to all perspectives, and give you the tools and space to make any judgements (or not) on your own.
  • This course is designed for majors and non-majors alike.

Course Objectives:

  • Clearly, I hope you all come away from the semester with a strong knowledge of the subject matter.
  • But, perhaps two even more important goals of this course are to help you sharpen your ability to: (1) question and scrutinize sources, and (2) formulate cogent arguments in both your speech and writing. There is a tremendous amount of material out there. It is a very important skill to be able to navigate the sea of perspectives—identifying author biases, adequate use of evidence, and quality of argumentation. These skills will serve you throughout your experience in higher education and in your careers ahead, no matter what they may be. As you read materials and work on assignments, pay attention to these factors.

Course Requirements:

  • Attendance is mandatory and will be taken regularly; please inform me about absences ahead of time.
  • I expect you to prepare for each class by completing required readings.
  • I also expect you to be regular active participants in class discussions.
  • In class, you may use laptops or tablets for note taking, but the use of phones in class is NOT permitted.
  • Over the course of the semester, you will have to prepare either 2 group presentations or 1 group presentation and 1 group paper

Reading:

  • Required Texts
  • Abdel Monem Said Aly and Shai Feldman, Arabs and Israelis: Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East (2013)
  • Walter Laqueur and Dan Schueftan, The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict: Eighth Revised and Updated Edition (2016)
  • Aside from these two books, we will look at a number of other primary source documents and analyses. All will be posted on coursesite

Movies:

  • You will be required to watch a number of films and videos over the course of the semester on your own.

1.Land of Promise (1935)

2.The Gatekeepers (2012)

3.Gaza/Sderot: Life In Spite of Everything (2009)

4.Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer (1955)

5.Sayed Kashua: Forever Scared (2009)

6.Waltz with Bashir (2008)

7.Wedding in Galilee (1987)

Course Evaluation:

  • Class participation (30 percent)
  • Mid-term exam (25 percent) – **THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 6-9pm**
  • Final exam (30 percent)
  • Quizzes (15 percent)
  • Two quizzes will be scheduled
  • Wednesday 2/8
  • Wednesday 2/22
  • Two additional quizzes will be ‘pop quizzes’

Course Website:

  • Other material listed below will be available on the course site.

Intellectual Integrity:

  • The Department of International Relations Policy has a firm policy on the parameters of Intellectual Integrity, Plagiarism, and Documentation. I direct you to the following link for details: . I will also post the policy to coursesite.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

  • Students who have a disability for which you are or may be requesting accommodation should contact both the instructor and the Office of Academic Support Services, University Center 212 (610-758-4152) as early as possible in the semester. You must obtain documentation from Academic Support Services before accommodation can be granted.

Schedule of Classes

Pre-History (Classes 1-4)

  1. Monday 1/23: ‘From Time Immemorial’
  1. Wed. 1/25: Zionism, Jewish Immigration, and Palestinian Life Pre-WWI (Part 1)
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 7-25
  3. Kimmerling and Migdal, The Palestinian People, pg. 3-6, pg. 67-76
  4. Documents
  5. L&S, Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State (1896)
  6. L&S, First Zionist Congress, The Basle Declaration (1897)
  1. Mon 1/30: Zionism, Jewish Immigration, and Palestinian Life Pre-WWI (Part 2)
  2. Watch ‘Land of Promise’ (1935)

[

  • Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 26-39
  • Documents
  • Ahad Ha’am, Address to the First Zionist Congress (1897) [On coursesite]
  • Aaron David Gordon, People and Labor (1911) [On coursesite]
  • Ha-Shomer Ha-Tzair, Our World View (1917) [On coursesite]
  • Vladimir (Zeev) Jabotinski, The Iron Wall (1923) [On coursesite]
  1. Wednesday 2/1: Discussion Section
  2. DISCUSSION SECTION:
  3. Sharif Husayn of Mecca to Sir Henry McMahon, Hussein-McMahon Letters (1915-1916) [On coursesite]
  4. L&S, British Foreign Minister Lord Alfred Balfour, The Balfour Declaration (1917)
  5. Council of the League of Nations, Mandate for Palestine (1922) [On coursesite]

The Mandate Period (Classes 5-6)

  1. Monday 2/6: Palestinian Nationalism and Zionist Society Building under the British Mandate
  2. Alan Dowty, " A Question That Outweighs All Others": Yitzhak Epstein and Zionist Recognition of the Arab Issue." Israel Studies 6.1 (2001): 34-54.
  3. Documents
  4. George Antonius, The Arab Awakening (1938) [On coursesite]
  1. Wednesday 2/8: Arab Uprisings, Failed Solutions, and the Drumbeat of War
  2. QUIZ #1
  3. Kimmerling and Migdal, 111-127
  4. Documents
  5. L&S, British Government, The White Paper of May 17, 1939 (1939)
  6. L&S, The Arab Office, The Arab Case for Palestine (1946)
  7. Ha-Shomer Ha-Tzair, The Case for a Bi-National Palestine (1945) [On coursesite]
  8. Israeli Foreign Minister, Moshe Shertok, Bi-Nationalism is Unworkable (1947) [On coursesite]
  9. One additional document to be handed out on ‘aliya bet’

The 1948 War (Classes 7-9)

  1. Monday 2/13: The 1948 War
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 46-58
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, UN General Assembly, Resolution on the Future Government of Palestine (Partition Resolution)(1947)
  5. L&S, State of Israel, Proclamation of Independence (1948)
  6. L&S, UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948)
  7. Two additional documents to be handed out on Deir Yassin massacre and attack on Jewish medical convoy in East Jerusalem
  1. Wednesday 2/15: Victory and Catastrophe
  2. Watch ‘Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer’
  3. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 59-79
  1. Monday 2/20: Discussion Section
  2. DISCUSSION SECTION:
  3. Shavit, My Promised Land, ch. 5 [On coursesite]
  4. Allan Gerson, “The Contrition and Confusion of Ari Shavit.” Moment. February 5, 2014. [On coursesite]

The First Two Decades of Israeli Statehood/ Palestinian Refugeedom (Classes 10-11)

  1. Wednesday 2/22: The First Two Decades of Israeli Statehood/ Palestinian Refugeedom (Part 1)
  2. Kimmerling and Migdal, pg. 169-180 (on Palestinians in Israel); pg. 214-235 (on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip)
  3. Documents
  4. Ehud Yaari, An analysis on: The Challenge of Fedayeen, February-August 1955 [On coursesite]
  1. Monday 2/27: The First Two Decades of Israeli Statehood/ Palestinian Refugeedom (Part 2)
  2. QUIZ #2
  3. Watch ‘Wedding in Galilee’
  • Martin Kramer, "Arab nationalism: mistaken identity." Daedalus (1993): 171-186
  • Documents
  • L&S, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Speech to Arab Trade Unionists (1967)

1967-1991: From Lightning War to Potential Reconciliation (Classes 12-17)

  1. Wednesday 3/1: The 1967 War
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 119-149
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, UN Security Council: Resolution 242 (1967)
  1. Thursday, March 2: MID-TERM EXAM 6-9pm
  1. Monday 3/6: The PLO, The 1973 War, and Camp David I
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 156-189
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, Palestinian National Council, The Palestinian National Charter (1967)
  5. L&S, Fatah, The Seven Points (1969)
  6. L&S, PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat (Abu Ammar), An Interview (1969)
  7. L&S, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Platform (1969)
  8. United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 3379 (1975) [On coursesite]
  9. L&S, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Peace With Justice (1977)
  10. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Autonomy Plan for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (1977)
  11. Gush Emunim (‘The Bloc of the Faithful), Opinion Paper (1978) [On coursesite]
  12. L&S, West Bank Palestinians, Reactions to Camp David (1981)
  1. Wednesday 3/8: The First Lebanon War
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 195-226
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, The Wars of No Alternative and Operation Peace for the Galilee (1982)
  5. Hezbollah, The Hezbollah Program: An Open Letter (1985) [On coursesite]

[Monday 3/13: No class – Spring Break]

[Wednesday 3/15: No class – Spring Break]

  1. Monday 3/20: Discussion Sections
  2. DISCUSSION SECTION: Watch ‘Waltz with Bashir’
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, The Kahan Commission, Report (1983)
  1. Wednesday 3/22: The First Intifada, Desert Storm, and the Madrid Conference
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 231-265
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, Barry Rubin, United it Stalls, the PLO (1983)
  5. L&S, West Bank-Gaza Palestinian Leaders, Fourteen Points (1988)
  6. L&S, Hamas (The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement), Charter (1988)
  7. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Peace Plan (1989)
  8. Benny Morris, The New Historiography: Israel Confronts its Past (1988) [On coursesite]
  9. Anita Shapira, The “New Historians”: The Past is Not a Foreign Country, 1988-1996: An Analysis (1996) [On coursesite]

The Oslo Era (Classes 18-23)

  1. Monday 3/27: Chronology of the Oslo Process (Part 1)
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 306-313
  3. Documents
  4. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Inaugural Speech (1992)
  5. L&S, Israel and PLO, Declaration of Principles on Interim Self Government Arrangements [‘Oslo Agreements’] (1993)
  6. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Speech to Knesset (April 1994)
  1. Wednesday 3/29: Chronology of the Oslo Process (Part 2)
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 313-328
  3. Documents
  4. Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Oslo II Accords (1995) [On coursesite]
  5. Hasfan Asfour and Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazin), Reflections on the Oslo Agreement’s 5th Anniversary (1998) [On coursesite]
  6. U.S. President Bill Clinton, Speech to the Palestinian Leadership (1998) [On coursesite]
  1. Mon. 4/3: The ‘Final Status Issues’: Jerusalem, Refugees, Borders, & Security (Pt 1)
  2. Reading TBA
  3. Documents
  4. Mahmoud Darwish, The Appeal of the Palestinian People on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Naqba (1998) [On coursesite]
  1. Wed. 4/5: The ‘Final Status Issues’: Jerusalem, Refugees, Borders, & Security (Pt 2)
  2. Watch ‘The Gatekeepers’
  3. Documents
  4. Former Israeli Defense Minister Yigal Allon, The West Bank and Gaza within the Framework of a Middle East Peace Settlement, 1948-1979: An Analysis (1980) [On coursesite]
  1. Monday 4/10: : Camp David II and the Collapse of the Oslo Process
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 331-358
  3. Documents
  4. U.S. President Bill Clinton, Statement After the Camp David Peace Talks (July 2000) [On coursesite]
  5. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Statement After the Camp David Peace Talks (July 2000) [On coursesite]
  6. U.S. President Bill Clinton, The Clinton Plan (Dec. 2000) [On coursesite]
  7. L&S, The Palestinian Negotiating Team, Remarks and Questions Regarding the Clinton Plan (2001)

[Wednesday 4/12: No class – Passover]

  1. Monday 4/17: : Discussion Section
  2. DISCUSSION SECTION:
  3. L&S, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Summarizing His Experience with the Peace Process (Dec. 2001)
  4. Martin Indyk, Evolution of Palestinian-Israeli Negotiations, 2000-2001: An Analysis (2001) [On coursesite]
  5. Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, Mitchell Report (2001) [On coursesite]
  6. Robert Malley and Hussein Agha. "Camp-David: The tragedy of errors (Accounts of the July 2000 summit and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations)." New York Review of Books 48.13 (2001)
  7. Benny Morris and Ehud Barak. "Camp David and after: An exchange, pt 1, An interview with Ehud Barak." New York Review of Books (June 13, 2002)

The Era of Stalemate (Classes 24-27)

  1. Wednesday 4/19: The Bush Years (Part 1): The 2nd Intifada, Arafat, and Sharon
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 361-392
  3. PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat, Speech at the Arab Summit (Oct. 2000) [On coursesite]
  4. Orr Commission, Report on Clashes Between the Security Forces and Israeli Citizens in October 2000 (2003) [On coursesite]
  5. Watch: 60 Minutes interview with Ariel Sharon (March 13, 2002)
  • L&S, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Speech at Palestinian Legislative Council (2003)
  • L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Disengagement Plan (2004)
  • L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, UN General Assembly speech (2005)
  1. Monday 4/24: The Bush Years (Part 2): The Conflict Post-Arafat
  2. Tony Judt, “Israel: the alternative.”New York Review of Books 50.16 (2003): 8-11.
  3. Leon Wieseltier. "Israel, Palestine, and the Return of the Binational Fantasy." The New Republic (2003).
  4. Nadim Rouhana, "The test of equal citizenship." Harvard International Review 20.2 (1998): 74.
  5. Documents
  6. L&S, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, The World Without Zionism Conference (2005)
  7. L&S, Hizbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Interview on Al Jazeera Television (2006)
  1. Wednesday 4/26: The Obama Years: Settlements, Security, and Aspirations in Changing Regional and World Contexts
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 397-435
  3. Documents
  4. Leaked document, Summary of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s “Package” Offer to Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen at the Annapolis Peace Conference (2008) [On coursesite]
  5. Leaked document, Meeting Minutes from Bilateral and Trilateral US-PAL-ISR Sessions Post-Annapolis Conference (2008)) [On coursesite]
  6. L&S, U.S. President Barack Obama, A New Beginning (2009)
  7. L&S, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bar-Ilan Speech (2009)
  8. L&S, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Speech to Young Fatah Activists on Refugees and the Right of Return (2014)
  1. Monday 5/1: Discussion Section
  2. DISCUSSION SECTION:
  3. Watch Sayed Kashua: Forever Scared’
  4. Watch portions of ‘Gaza/Sderot’ (assignment TBA)

The Future

  1. Wednesday 5/3: The Trump Era
  2. Said Ali, Feldman, and Shikaki, pg. 442-459
  3. Contemporary article TBA

1